


Family Is More Than Blood

by Sweven



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Arguing, Happy Ending, Married Life, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-War, Star Wars Rare Pairs Exchange 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-26
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2019-02-02 14:57:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12728805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweven/pseuds/Sweven
Summary: Ten years after the end of the Clone Wars Obi-Wan, Satine, and Jango still have their difficulties with each other, themselves, and the Galaxy as a whole.





	Family Is More Than Blood

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gabriel4Sam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gabriel4Sam/gifts).



 "Of the two of us, Master, I never imagined that it would be me who would end up living the quiet life on a peaceful planet," the holo of Anakin said with a smirk.  
  
Obi-Wan sighed, but the noise from the other room drowned out his exasperation   
  
"Two Mandalorians at the same time," Anakin continued. "I've said it before - you're a brave man."  
  
"How's Alderaan," Obi-Wan interjected before Anakin got properly started on the jibes. 

  
One sure fact of life, one thing that Obi-Wan knew for certain, was that Anakin would never pass up the opportunity to talk about his family. 

  
He wasn't wrong. Anakin's eyes lit up and his former Padawan didn't attempt to conceal his adoration of his family in his words. "This vacation was a great idea, the twins adore it here, Leia especially, she wants to study under Breha but she's still too young of course, but maybe she can tutor her in a few years and Luke..." Anakin trailed off, and Obi-Wan didn't have to ask why. The shouting in the next room had reached a disturbing volume.  
  
Obi-Wan sighed again, he felt like that was all he did these days really, and smiled a thin smile at Anakin. "I'm sorry Anakin, I'm afraid I have to cut this short."  
  
"Are they always like this?", Anakin asked bluntly. "When were you last planet-side? For more than a job, I mean."  
  
Obi-Wan cleared his throat and replied. "No they are _not_ , and well. It's been a while. We've been busy and you know I don't like sitting idle.  
Anakin shrugged. "If fancy strikes you, you're more than welcome on Alderaan, we'd all be thrilled to see you. Luke keeps asking for Uncle Ben, he wants you to show him more Force tricks. It's not as impressive when I do it apparently," Anakin pouted, childlike and self-absorbed, and Obi-Wan felt like no time had passed since the time before the Clone Wars at all. "Or if you want to be alone, Bail and Breha have a lovely cabin in the mountains, I'm sure you can borrow that if you need to get away from. Uh. Space. Or whatever."  
  
"Smooth as ever, my old apprentice," Obi-Wan said with crossed arms and a smile on his lips. He heard loud crashes next door and went to switch off the holo link. "You seem happy, Anakin. I'm glad," Obi-Wan said softly. "Do give my best to Padmé and the twins."

The holo link switched off before Anakin could have the last word, which would surely have been snide, and Obi-Wan felt relieved. He always was after talking to Anakin and seeing his friend healthy and happy. They'd been so close to disaster, but now... Anakin and Padmé found their happy ending.

Something fragile broke nearby, the unmistakable sound of shattering glass couldn't be ignored. Truthfully, he envied Anakin occasionally. He could do with a bit more peace and quiet. With a groan, Obi-Wan braced himself for what awaited in the next room.  
The once-Jedi opened the room abruptly, beginning his admonishments even before the door had swung fully open. "By the Force, what are you two dimwits doi-..." Obi-Wan trailed off at the sight of sweat-slick limbs intertwining amidst a scene of chaos. Shattered glass by the wall, ragged clothes were strewn across the room and Satine emerged from behind Jango's muscled back, a sly grin on her face.  
  
"Nothing that we wouldn't do without you, dear," she gasped as Jango moved to look at Obi-Wan, still holding her hips tightly, fingers digging into soft flesh.  
  
"You missed the foreplay, lover," he said gruffly, voice gravelly from the previous shouting. "Get over here or you'll miss the rest as well."

Satine's blond tresses stuck to her forehead as she threw her head back in a breathless laugh.  
  
"Foreplay?" Obi-Wan said faintly. "You two will be the death of me," the former Jedi sighed as he let himself be drawn into the mass of smiles and whimpers.

 

* * *

 

  
"Come _on_ , Satine, you can't be serious!", Jango shouted and made another grab for the blaster.  
  
"Deathly, you brute," Satine replied tersely, steadfastly ignoring the plasma bolts that missed her by inches. She fiddled with the blaster and huffed in disgust.  
  
Obi-Wan was stuck behind a crate and he groaned that they were having this conversation again - while taking fire no less. "Satine, now isn't the time!"  
  
"Now is exactly the time!", Satine shouted at him with flashing eyes, "I've told you this a thousand times, _no killing_!"  
  
Jango swore loudly as a blaster bolt grazed Satine's hair. Time seemed to slow as Satine felt the movement of her pale locks, the stench of burnt hair crawling into her nose and the realisation of the danger she was in dawned upon her.  
Time slammed back into gear as Jango grabbed her shoulder and pulled her down. "Kryze, I swear by the balls of Kad Ha'rangir, if you don't stay down and let me save your life, I'll kill you myself." Jango reached down and wrestled his blaster from her and locked eyes with Obi-Wan. "Kenobi, with me!", he shouted as he threw himself into battle and took a shot at the bounty hunter hiding on the other side of the shipping bay.  
  
Obi-Wan leapt from the relative cover of the shipping crates with his lightsaber ignited and blocked a blaster bolt effortlessly. "You're both idiots, you know that?!", he shouted across the noise. "Oh nooo Obi-Wan there's no need for a backup plan, we _know_ better now, we won't have any trouble on this job, just trust us," Obi-Wan rambled, mocking the two Mandalorians and Jango let out a bark of laughter.  
"No really, the two of you are the absolute worst during battle, and I had to deal with _Anakin_ during the Clone Wars!", Obi-Wan let out a grunt as he used the Force to toss a large shipping crate towards their foe. The Trandoshan let out a snarl as the box hit him, and Obi-Wan felt the reptile's rage growing. Cold. Calculating. Dangerous, he thought.  
  
"You thought this was a good plan too, Jedi, don't forget it," Jango grinned at the other man, grime and sweat running down his face. "You always complain when it goes sideways."  
  
The Trandoshan saw their distraction and suddenly disappeared from view. The shipping bay was suddenly quiet and empty. Obi-Wan swore and tried to feel their opponent with the Force, but conflict and fear filled him and clouded his vision.  
"Jango...," Obi-Wan warned the other man as he wiped away sweat from his eyes. "I don't know where he is."  
  
Satine stood up slowly, sinewy limbs unfolding as she took great care to stay hidden. Life as a freelance Galactic Law Enforcer wasn't usually this risky, at least the contracts they accepted weren't, and Satine was decidedly unfit for this type of battle. "We should leave," she said quietly. "This has all gone wrong, it's too dangerous." Obi-Wan and Jango agreed and the three moved towards the entrance, Obi-Wan taking point. The shipping bay was quiet now, only the soft hum of Obi-Wan's lightsaber and heavy boots on durasteel floors broke the silence.

 

Obi-Wan had no time to react when the Trandoshan dropped from the roof and in an instant effortlessly snapped his wrist. A gasp of pain escaped Obi-Wan at the blinding pain, and he felt his lightsaber fall from his fingertips as he was dragged backwards, scrabbling to stay on his feet. He saw Satine and Jango turn at the noise and his heart ached at the fear and pain and anger written on their faces. Obi-Wan was pulled up by the Trandoshan and he felt sharp claws pressing on his windpipe.  
  
_"Jetar madle,"_ the reptilian snarled and a fresh scar pulled at the scaly skin. "Give me the Duchess and you can leave, Fett."  
  
"Bossk," Jango replied with a sneer. "I heard that you'd finally rid yourself of Cradossk's chains. I hope he tasted well as you'd hoped," Bossk hissed and tightened his grip on Obi-Wan's throat.  
Satine tried to step forward, the righteousness and fury in the set of her back, but Jango held her back, ignoring her protests. "You should leave, Bossk. Find prey elsewhere," Jango said harshly even as the Trandoshan squeezed harder. Droplets of blood trickled from Obi-Wan's neck where long claws punctured his flesh. "These two are mine."  
  
Bossk laughed, a raspy, guttural sound that made Obi-Wan's spine crawl. "It will be as the Scorekeeper wills it," the lizard hissed through sharp teeth. "You should've known better than to go soft, Fett."  
  
"Let him go, you monster," Satine spat and stepped around Jango's outstretched arm, slipping out of reach. She held her stingbeam tightly but the reptile barely spared her a glance. A more immediately dangerous foe was in front of him. "If you intend on kidnapping me, at least do the bare minimum of paying attention to me," the Mandalorian woman said, incensed. "How condescending do y-"  
  
"Accept the bargain or lose your life, fellow hunter," Bossk said to Jango, ignoring Satine's outraged words. "Or the life of this one," he continued, a cruel tang to his voice as he sniffed Obi-Wan's hair. "I only need her alive, and the Jedi smells like he'd taste ever so sweet." Obi-Wan coughed and struggled to put some distance between himself and the scaly skin touching his ear, but Bossk only laughed at his efforts. The sound was sickening.  
  
Satine's mouth was a thin line pressed together in concentration as she took her shot. Her stingbeam hardly had any knockback, nor any effect on the thick-skinned Trandoshan, she realised with dread crawling up her spine. She took aim again, confidence dwindling, but her target had already moved out of the way, swift as a flash. Behind him, Obi-Wan collapsed unceremoniously onto the floor with a dull thud as his head hit the floor and he laid still.  
In the split-second after her second shot, Satine realised Jango's ploy and determination set in again. The Trandoshan ran towards her, dodging her shots and he was only an arms length away, close enough for Satine to see the deep orange of Bossk's eyes, close enough for her to hear the raspiness of his breath and the stench of death surrounding him, and finally Jango barreled into the reptile, throwing him off balance and onto the floors.  
  
Satine saw a whirl of claws and blood and the sound of snarls and armor tearing filled the air, and she feared the worst. The brawl was violent but quick and soon Jango stood above the bounty hunter, swaying slightly. Bloodied, but victorious.  
  
"You've always functioned entirely on instinct, Bossk. I'd rather be soft than be whatever the hell you are," Jango breathed heavily and kicked half-heartedly at the unconscious Trandoshan before he slid down onto the floor, leaning against the nearest shipping crate.  
  
"Our Jedi alright?," Jango asked as Satine looked over the limp body of Obi-Wan, voice tight with worry.  
  
"Bruised and bleeding, but some bacta will fix him up alright," she said after a few seconds of hands flitting over her husband, and Jango felt dizzy with relief. "Here, let me see your arm..."  
  
Jango started to brush her off, but when he looked down, he realised that his entire arm was bloody and that his armor had been shredded to scraps. "Haar'chak..." he said, annoyed. "I just polished that."  
  
Satine laughed quietly and carefully removed the pieces of his armor that were still hanging on and inspected his arm. "Not too deep, thankfully," Satine said, relief obvious in her voice, relief that quickly turned to anger. "What were you thinking, you fool?!," she snapped. "He could have ripped your throat out!"  
  
With a sigh Jango pulled the furious woman down onto his chest. "We're all fine, Satine. Let's just enjoy the moment for a second before you chew me out again."  
  
Reluctantly letting go of her anger, Satine soon melted into his embrace. "Vor entye, cyar'ika," she said softly and kissed Jango's cheek.

He let out a pained huff. "No need to get sappy on me, Kryze, this was a team effort. If you weren't so wonderfully predictable, this never would have worked." Satine tried to look affronted, but dissolved into a heap of nervous giggles instead.  
  
"Oh good, we're not dead," a dry, thin voice sounded over the giggles echoing in the hangar. Obi-Wan looked over at the two Mandalorians as he struggled to sit up with only one arm. "And we're not fighting. How nice." Satine rushed to Obi-Wan and helped him up. "But our prisoner hasn't been tied up yet," Obi-Wan noted as he leaned on Satine for support until she sat him down next to Jango. "Oh well. Win some, lose some I suppose."  
  
"Come on, you two. Moment's over," Satine said, the smile on her lips belying her words. "Where did you put the shackles?"

 

* * *

  

Obi-Wan woke up with a jolt in a pool of his own sweat, heart racing and the nightmares still at the forefront of his mind. Covering his eyes, he tried to make the terrible images disappear from sight, heels of his hands digging into his eyes. Futile, he thought. The only thing he gained from the movement was an aching wrist, the bone still hadn't set properly. Obi-Wan sat up groaning and wiped the sweat from his brow.  
  
Jango turned towards him, eyes bright and awake as always. He always had been a light sleeper, Obi-Wan noted absently, still preoccupied with his nightmare. "What did you see?," Jango asked with quiet interest.  
  
Obi-Wan just shook his head and turned from Jango. The horrors of war, of clones dying around him, of terrible danger, was still at the forefront of his mind, and seeing his lover's face in both of them was disconcerting to say the least.  
  
The former bounty hunter sat up and scooted closer to Obi-Wan's back, pressing a light kiss to his bare shoulder. "Talk to me," he said, but Obi-Wan pulled away, feeling Jango's spine stiffen as he sat at the edge of the bed out of reach from his husband.  
  
"Darlings?," Satine murmured, voice heavy with sleep, and languidly reached for them.  
  
"Stay," Obi-Wan said softly and reached for his robe. "I'm just going to get some tea." He didn't wait for a reply before leaving the bedroom, and already the distance allowed him to push the nightmares slightly away. With a sigh of relief he leaned against the closed door and heard his spouses argue softly on the other side, no doubt about whether or not to follow him.  
  
Obi-Wan shook his head, tired beyond imagining, and with soft steps he padded down the hallway to the kitchen area. Some tea would help, he was sure.

* * *

  

Obi-Wan had lied when Anakin had asked if they were always arguing. They were. They argued over _everything_.   
They argued over big things like putting themselves in danger or which kinds of jobs they were willing to take, and they argued over tiny, _stupid_ things like not putting the dirty socks where they were supposed to go or what music to play during long days of hyperspace travel. 

They'd had a few quiet days after they captured and delivered Bossk to the nearest Republic outpost, a few days with soft touches and lowered voices, but now, more than a week after, the arguing was skyrocketing to its old heights and it was getting on Obi-Wan's nerves. Even now, locked away in the cargo hold behind several closed doors he could hear them. _Slave I_ was simply not big enough for him to get the distance he yearned for.

They were in the cock pit, arguing over which bandage would be best suited for Jangos arm. The bacta had healed most of the injury of course, but in Jango's opinion, what remained was too insignificant to spend that amount of credits on. Satine insisted on fussing over it, and the duo's banter was reaching infuriating levels, Obi-Wan thought and ascended the stairs, making more noise than was probably entirely necessary.  
  
"All right, that's it, this is enough," Obi-Wan said sharply as he entered the cockpit, voice cutting cleanly through Satine and Jangos nonsensical argument.  
  
"What's happening, Kenobi?," Jango asked with a serious set to his dark brow as he looked at the other man.  
  
"What's happening is that we're going to Alderaan," Obi-Wan said as he punched in the coordinates to the hyperdrive with more force than was needed. "We're taking a vacation."   
  
The two Mandalorians looked at each other curiously and the previous tension evaporated completely. "Jango dear, remind me, wasn't it Obi-Wan who told us in no uncertain terms that he did not 'do' vacations?" Satine asked Jango with a foxy grin.   
  
"I believe our Duchess is correct," Jango leered back, "I think he said that vacations went against his belief system," Jangos dark eyes met Satines blue ones with shared mirth and he tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.   
  
"It does, but so does murdering my spouses, so I guess I'm choosing the lesser evil of the two, aren't I," Obi-Wan shot a dirty look over his shoulder at duo standing closely together. Jango wrapped his arm around Satine and Obi-Wan was reminded of how beautiful they both were, how complementary in almost every way - and how frustrating.  
  
"What are we going to do on our vacation, Master Jedi?," Satine teased and turned to Jango. "Do you think he'll wear something without sleeves, Jango?," she asked rhetorically and Jango burst out laughing.  
  
"Oh love, I sure hope so! That would be a sight to behold," Jango laughed and Obi-Wan groaned. It would take them two days to reach Alderaan with no stops along the way, and he dreaded the journey already.  
  
"I'm going to send a message to Anakin to let him know that we're coming," Obi-Wan said, slightly miffed at their teasing.  
When he went to move past them in the small cockpit, instead of letting him go, Jango pulled him into a kiss that was all smiles. Obi-Wan felt Satine's hot breath on his cheek, and he melted into the duo's embrace.  
  
"This will be good for us, husband," Jango said softly when they broke the kiss and Satine murmured in agreement.

* * *

  

A few days later they arrived on Alderaan and Obi-Wan very nearly flung himself from _Slave I_ as soon as it touched ground, Satine's peals of laughter following him outside.  
  
"Uncle Ben! Uncle Ben!," two children came running towards him, one with blond tufts of hair bouncing with excitement, the other with long brown braids swinging wildly. "I lifted a rock the other day, Uncle, come see!" "Why's your arm bandaged up?" "Did you go on an adventure?" "Did you get to shoot rockets?" "Did it hurt?" "Where's Uncle Jango?" "Did you bring Boba?" "Does Aunt Satine still wear that pretty crown?" Excited blabbering filled the air and Obi-Wan laughed at the multitude of questions and lifted both the twins into a hug, ignoring the twinge of pain from his newly healed wrist.  
  
"Good grief, you two got huge!," Obi-Wan smiled at the children in his embrace. "I can barely carry you anymore."  
  
Leia smiled a toothy smile at him and nodded. "And you've lost another baby tooth, that has got to be the last one soon," Obi-Wan noted when he saw her missing canine.  
  
"M-mhmm!," Leia shook her head and opened her mouth widely. "Still have these ones," she said and pointed at her molars, voice garbled by her hand. Obi-Wan heard Padmé's laughter and looked up to see her and Anakin coming towards them.  
  
Luke wriggled to get down and Obi-Wan obliged. "Aunt Satine! Uncle Jango," the child shouted and both of the twins ran to greet the two Mandalorians who had emerged from the ship.  
  
"Obi-Wan!," Anakin exclaimed as he wrapped his old Master in a hug. "It's good to see you, friend."  
  
"And you too, Anakin, Padmé," he said with a smile. "Thank you for this both of you, we'll try to stay out of your hair."  
  
"Don't be stupid, Master, we're thrilled to have you," Anakin smiled and spoke loudly enough that the twins could hear him. "Come inside, I'm sure Luke wants to show you that he can lift _rocks_ now." Predictably, the twins came running and the air was filled with their chattering and sibling disagreements.  
  
Satine and Jango joined them and for a brief moment Obi-Wan felt completely at ease here, on beautiful Alderaan, surrounded by the people he loved.

* * *

   
It was strange, Obi-Wan thought, how easily it sometimes slipped his mind that Satine was royalty. He never forgot, of course, they had far too much shared history to ever do that, but seeing the pale woman switch between her roles so effortlessly was a fascinating thing.

Between the stars, when it was just the three of them, she was raw beauty and passion, all of her politicising forgotten, left behind planet-side. She wasn't less _Satine_ in space, but the freedom changed her, Obi-Wan mused. Seeing her now at dinner with Padmé reminded him that his wife was indeed both a ferociously independent spirit and an adept politician, even if she'd left that life behind on Mandalore.  
  
She was so cordial now, so elegant and Obi-Wan beat himself over the head that he could've ever forgotten, that this part of her had been pushed so far back that she now seemed like an entirely different person to him.

Jango was... otherwise, Obi-Wan decided as he looked at the bounty hunter. He was quieter around other people, but he never really changed. Steady, Obi-Wan thought. For all his mirth and even though he'd lied to people for a living for years, Jango never played games with people, he would sooner jump in a lake than be untrue to himself. The twins enjoyed his demeanor and in the few hours he'd been here, Obi-Wan was sure they'd learned more curse-words than he would ever know himself. He was less sure that Anakin would forgive Jango for corrupting his children however.

Obi-Wan wasn't sure how he fit into all of this. Satine and Jango were so different and yet so alike and sometimes he doubted that he belonged. How could he, truly? A broken former Jedi whose only real virtue was an ability to get the job done, a Jedi shattered by a terrible war and terrible losses, a snarky middle-aged man who never truly managed to open up to people, how did he fit in with these two beautiful creatures?

"Excuse me," Obi-Wan said quietly, ignoring Jango's inquisitive gaze and the pause in Satine's breath. "I need some air."

 

Padmé found him on a nearby balcony soon after. He'd expected Anakin to be honest, but talking to anyone wasn't a delightful prospect at the moment. She stood quietly by his side for a while, the gentle wind making her loose dress billow and Obi-Wan thought that she looked stunning in the moonlight.  
  
Finally, Obi-Wan broke the comfortable silence. "You look at home here, Padmé. Happy," he said softly.  
  
"We are," Padmé said, gentle eyes meeting his. "We're safe, the twins are healthy. Happiness comes easier nowadays." A pause, then she continued, voice soft with concern. "Are you happy? Truly?"  
  
Obi-Wan looked at the mountains in the distance. "I am," he said. "Well. Most of the time, I am." The former Jedi smiled at his friend and saw that she wasn't convinced. "I just... I see you and Anakin with your perfect life and your perfect children, and I wonder if what the three of us have is the same."  
  
"Anakin and I are not perfect," Padmé said with a huff of disbelief and crossed her arms. , "and the twins are a _terror_ , believe me! Obi-Wan, where is this coming from? You love them, don't you?"   
  
"Oh I do, I love them dearly," Obi-Wan said quickly, "but we're a mess. We didn't used to be like this," he trailed off, lost in thought for a moment before shrugging and continuing. "They fight constantly, we can hardly talk to each other any longer without it turning into another ridiculous argument."  
  
"Hm. I can't say that I truly understand, but Obi-Wan... Don't measure yourself against others," Padmé said kindly. "We each walk our path, and Anakin envies you yours, I know."   
  
Obi-Wan felt compelled to ask 'why? Why in the world would he envy me?' but he struggled to find his voice. Instead, he softly shook his head and let silence fill the void.  
  
"It took Anakin years to forgive himself, you know," Padmé said quietly without looking at him. "He still has nightmares about the war. About his visions."  
  
Another one of his mistakes, Obi-Wan thought with a pang. His Padawan, his responsibility, his _family_. He'd brought a child into the war and thought nothing of it. "I know."  
  
"We all do, sometimes," Padmé said, no blame to trace in her voice. "We all have regrets, Obi-Wan, don't doubt that. Even Jango does though he doesn't like to show it." Obi-Wan looked at Padmé with lifted brows and she shook her head at his disbelief. "Look at him with the clones. He has to watch them grow old before time. He never counted on caring," she trailed off softly. "We all did the best we could, you shouldn't carry this alone. Talk to them."  
  
A moment of silence fell between them. Looking up, Obi-Wan tried to find solace in the quiet moment. He saw that the clear skies revealed an infinity of stars and Obi-Wan felt like the tiniest being in the entire universe, his past mistakes out in the open and weighing him down. Far was easier to away, to look down instead.

The moonlight cast cold light on the landscape. They could see so far, Obi-Wan thought, the landscape stretched out across forests and lakes and it was dotted with cities, well lit from the full moon. So many lives that had gone untouched by the war, lives that hadn't been touched by the terrors of the Clone Wars. It was beautiful and Obi-Wan tried to focus on enjoying it, desperately pushing the envy to the back of his mind.

 

Obi-Wan didn't look up when Padmé gently pressed her hand to his shoulder nor when she quietly left the balcony.

 

Satine and Jango found him a while later and stood side by side with him speaking soft words as they looked out onto the mountain-range and the glittering lakes.

 

* * *

  

"Kenobi! Kryze!," Jango shouted across the landing pad, heavy boxes wobbling in his grip as he turned towards _Slave I_. "We're leaving, get your asses in gear or I leave without you!"  
  
"Uh," Obi-Wan said dumbly and turned to Satine. "Where are we going?"  
  
She smirked unhelpfully at him and turned to Padmé instead. "Thank you for this, my friend," she said as she leaned down to kiss Padmé's cheek.  
  
"I promised the kids that you'd pop by before you disappear into space again," Padmé said, smiling up at the taller woman. "Don't make a liar of me."  
  
Satine caught Obi-Wan's good hand before he could object and bodily dragged him towards the ship. "Wait, Satine, what's going on?," Obi-Wan tried to interject, but his half-hearted struggles were ignored.  
  
"Come on you fool, don't let the brute leave without us," she said in jest.  
  
Obi-Wan gave up and let himself be dragged into _Slave I_. Satine sat him down in one of the passenger seats and refused to answer any questions.

 

A very short while later they touched ground again, and confusion filled Obi-Wan. They couldn't have gone to space or gone very far on Alderaan, they'd only been in the air for a few handfuls of minutes at most. Jango reemerged from the cockpit with a wide smile and Obi-Wan softened a bit at the way his husband's eyes crinkled at the corners.  
  
"Come on you two, grab a crate, I loaded this, I'm not unloading it by myself as well," Jango said with a wink as he grabbed a large box.  
  
The loading bay opened with a hiss and Obi-Wan readily picked up a crate and descended. Curiosity filled him over what could have his lovers this giddy.  
When he stood on the ground he just felt mostly confused. "Isn't that the palace?," he asked with a raised eyebrow and nodded towards the spires on a nearby mountainside. "That was some trip, I might need a nap after this long travel." He squinted his eyes as he looked at the palace. "I think I can see the twins waving from here," he said drily.  
  
"Don't be such a nay-sayer, you're the one who mentioned the cottage," Satine said and put her crate on top of his. "You kept talking about going to the mountains, didn't you?"  
  
Obi-Wan shrugged and went inside the house with a warm feeling that maybe, just maybe they would have a few pleasant days here.

 

* * *

 

"You cannot possibly be that dense," Satine said quietly, fiery eyes meeting Obi-Wan's. "Do you think any of us thought that this would have ended this way? That any of us imagined it like this ten years ago?" Satine put down her glass of wine harshly, knocking over an empty bottle with her carelessness. It rolled onto the rug and disappeared under a chair.  
  
Obi-Wan sputtered for a reply but was left floundering as Satine stood up and continued over his ramblings. "I was the Duchess of Mandalore! Leading my people was my life, it meant everything to me!" She gestured towards Jango who stood quietly nearby and watched their wife explode with fury. "Jango and I were drawn into this war as unwillingly as you was, none of us wanted this!"  
  
"I... It's not the same," Obi-Wan started weakly. "I didn't choose to fight in the war, it wasn't..."  
  
Satine interrupted him with a thunderous rage. "Why?!," she shouted and jabbed a finger at him. "Why was the war any more our choosing than yours? Civilians, soldiers, Jedi, we all carry our scars with us." Satine turned from the gobsmacked Obi-Wan and Jango stepped to embrace her, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.  
Voice shaking, Satine looked at Obi-Wan and he saw the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "Just because you don't notice our pain doesn't make it any less real."  
  
All blood paled from Obi-Wan's face as the words sunk in and he looked at the two Mandalorians in front of him, suddenly realising how blind he'd been. "All this time...," he whispered. "Why didn't you talk to me? I could have helped."  
  
Jango laughed, a short unpleasant sound, and Obi-Wan couldn't help but look away. His hair fell into his eyes and he welcomed it. Anything to not look at his spouses, anything that could help him distance himself from the uncomfortable situation was welcome.  
"For someone with the title of 'Negotiator', husband, you don't do a whole lot of talking," Jango said harshly. "At least not to us."  
  
"I...," Obi-Wan said, voice trembling. "I need some air." He started to get up from his chair, desperate to turn away from his husband and wife in front of him, but a cutting voice stopped him.  
  
"No, fuck that, not this time. We're having this kriffin' conversation," Jango's tone left no room for discussion and his eyes were hard as flint. "Sit your ass down, Kenobi, and talk to us."  
  
Obi-Wan nodded, a sharp, unwilling motion, and moved to sit again, arms crossed uncomfortably. "Very well. I should like some tea first though," he said and signaled the protocol droid who, it seemed to Obi-Wan, was rather too eager to leave the room.

 

* * *

 

 And so they sat, each in their own chair around the ornate sofa table. Obi-Wan found himself admiring the sofa arrangement in a way he felt certain that he would not have done, were it not for the awkward silence which filled the room. The break in the argument while they waited for the tea to arrive left them all a bit off.  
  
Obi-Wan worried at some tassels on a decorative blanket and did his best not to be the one to initiate the conversation.  
Finally tea arrived and he was grateful to have something other to do with his hands than ruin the Queens blankets, the comfortable familiarity of the tea calming him by several degrees. Obi-Wan heard Satine draw in a deep breath and braced himself.  
  
"How long have we been married?," she asked her husbands.  
  
"Five years, three months and a day," Jango replied promptly. Both Satine and Obi-Wan looked curiously at their husband and he shrugged. "I like to keep track of it."  
  
Satine nodded. "And how often do we talk?"   
  
"Does arguing count," asked Obi-Wan weakly and clasped the tea cup harder.   
  
With a small smile, Satine shook her head. "Precisely. Have you ever wondered why we fight so much?"   
  
Obi-Wan shrugged. "The two of us have always been at each other's throats, even when we were teenagers. And, the first time Jango and I met, we tried to kill one another, remember?" A smile tugged at the edge of Jango's mouth.  
  
"But this is different, dear, surely you recognise that?," she said not unkindly.   
  
"So... When did it start?," Obi-Wan asked, still grasping his tea cup too tightly. "And why?"   
  
Jango thought for a moment, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "About a year ago I think. After Palpatine's trial ended." Satine nodded, long wispy hair flowing around her shoulders. She looked at home here, Obi-Wan thought distractedly, among the rich saturated colors and flowing ornaments, her pale, slender form struck a beautiful line against the backdrop.  
  
"I see...," he said quietly.  
  
"It was a difficult time for all of us," Satine said. "But I think... Jango and I felt relieved that it was over, that the Clone Wars was finally properly ended. We weren't directly involved with Palpatine anyway, but you were, and you... never seemed to really deal with it. And now it's eating away at us," she ended quickly, clearly relieved to have spoken the words aloud.  
  
"I'm sorry," Obi-Wan started. "I haven't been the most supportive or attentive person in this relationship, I've been wrapped up in my own issues and I've forgotten to take care of you tw-..."  
  
"That's not the damned point," Jango said, exasperation thick in his voice. "We all deal with our shit the way we have to, point is that you try to deal with it alone."  
  
Obi-Wan wrinkled his brow. "What's the point then, how does the two connect?"  
  
"Point is that Kryze and I argue until we fuck but you just shut yourself away until we annoy you enough for you come out of hiding," Jango snapped, gesturing wildly.  
  
"Point is," Satine said with a sharp look at Jango, "that we have to handle these things together." She took Obi-Wan's hand, her long, slender fingers painted a stark contrast to his calloused, scarred ones. They'd been broken more times than he could count, Obi-Wan thought absently. "You have terrible nightmares, Jango hardly ever sleeps, and I worry _constantly_. Jango and I try to find an outlet, but... we have to face this together, all three of us. What we're doing now simply isn't sustainable."  
  
Obi-Wan looked at their intertwined fingers, at Jango with his crossed arms and stern set to his lips, and he felt estranged from them both, from the situation. He felt like running, Obi-Wan realised, like abandoning everything and taking to the stars, like finding some faraway desolate planet where he didn't have to deal with all of this.  
The former Jedi felt his stomach and nausea welled up in him. The turmoil of emotions was overwhelming but at the same time, Obi-Wan was acutely aware that he was a crossroads. This was a defining moment for him, for their shared future, and looking at the two Mandalorians sitting across from him, his heart ached with how much he loved them. They were strange and complicated and _loud_ but they meant far too much to him for him to simply turn tail and leave without a fight. The war still weighed heavy on his shoulders now, more than a decade after the fighting ended, but he refused to let it take more from him.  
  
"Why do you worry?," Obi-Wan asked, meeting her eyes, deciding on facing this head on, and he felt like bravery should taste sweeter than this.  
  
She smiled sadly. "I worry about the war of course. About my decisions for Mandalore, whether I could have done anything differently. I worry about you two," she said and reached for Jango with her free hand. "I worry about betraying my beliefs, about change, about you pulling away and about us all falling apart. I chose you two over Mandalore," she said and looked at the tea-set instead of her husbands, voice breaking and Obi-Wan thought that he'd never seen her this sad. "- and I'd do it again in a heartbeat, but if I lose you two _and_ my planet, where does that leave me?"  
  
Jango huffed. "You're both idiots," he said with a loving tone to his voice. Obi-Wan looked at him inquisitively and Jango shook his head. "It's like I told Bossk - you're mine." Jango flashed a razor-sharp smile at his husband and wife, and Obi-Wan felt slightly disconcerted until the smile softened a bit. "I believe in us," the bounty hunter said before scoffing at the sappiness of the situation. "But now I need something stronger than tea."

Jango grinned at his partners as he got up and went rummaging in one of the crates they'd brought. With a triumphant noise he procured a bottle of _tihaar_ and both Satine and Obi-Wan groaned.  
  
"Cin vhetin" Jango said with a wicked smile as he stood by the bar and poured the liquid into three shot glasses. Satine and Obi-Wan reluctantly accepted the toast and drank, the liquid _burning_ all the way down, and Obi-Wan was sure that Anakin and Padmé could hear him coughing from the other side of the valley.

 

* * *

 

It would never be easy, Obi-Wan mused later, head still spinning from the alcohol. They lay on a soft bed with intertwined limbs, Satine's hair getting tangled in-between the three of them, sticking to sweat-slick skin. It would never be perfect, but maybe that was alright. He felt the scrape of Jango's stubble on his chest and his husband's slow, deep breathing evolved into a soft snore, fast asleep. How rarely that happened, Obi-Wan thought. He was more grateful now, for their imperfect mess of issues and love, than he'd been in a long time.  
  
They were family, he thought happily as he drifted off to sleep. A messy, loud family, but they were his.

 

* * *

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Glossary:  
> Jetar madle - Meat Maggot (Dosh)
> 
> Haar'chak - Damn it  
> Vor entye, cyar'ika - thank you/a debt is owed, darling  
> Cin vhetin - A fresh start
> 
>  
> 
> To avoid confusion - In Legends Bossk didn't actually kill Cradossk until 0 ABY which would be about 8 years after the timeline in this fic, but I really wanted to use Bossk, so bear with me :)


End file.
